Sizewell: Nuclear station restored to full power

SIZEWELL B nuclear station is now back on full power after planned maintenance.

One of the station’s two turbines was taken down on Wednesday to allow inspection and maintenance to be carried out on its exhaust pipework.

The decision was taken as “a precautionary measure” after a steam leak from the turbine-related pipework of the other turbine in November, which saw it out of service for two weeks.

Station owner EDF Energy said work to Turbine 1 had now been completed and the station was now back at full capacity, generating power for about two million homes.

The turbine was back working again at 4.40am this morning.

Station director Jim Crawford said: “We had not had any problems with Turbine 1’s pipework. However, safety is our over-riding priority, so we decided to take the unit offline as a precautionary measure to allow us to carry out detailed inspection and maintenance work to ensure we don’t encounter any similar problems in the future.

“We also took the opporturnity to carry out some additional maintenance work while Turbine 1 was offline. I am very pleased with the way the work went. Our staff and contractors worked quickly and safely to complete all the planned maintenance, allowing us to finish the work ahead of schedule.”